Coach Z Basketball Camp continues to be summer hit

LA CRESCENTA — All eight baskets inside the Crescenta Valley High gymnasium were occupied. Whistles could be heard echoing inside the building, along with the sound of shoes squeaking on the floor while drills were being conducted.

Seventy-one participants had made their way to the large structure to pick up some pointers on basketball from veteran Crescenta Valley boys’ Coach Shawn Zargarian at the 11th annual Coach Z Basketball Camp. Zargarian, a former All-Area Boys’ Basketball Coach of the Year, hatched the idea of starting a week-long event to provide an opportunity for the participants to comprehend the fundamentals.

“We’ve gotten a lot of good turn out since we started and it’s mostly word of mouth,” said Zargarian, whose team finished tied for third in the Pacific League and advanced to the second round of the CIF Southern Section Division I-A playoffs last season. “We get a lot of people who want to come here for a week and learn all kinds of different things.

“There’s always something to pick up each day. We have more than 50% of the people here now who have come to the camp in past summers. You get some new people who want to come and try to work on some different things to help them improve their overall game.”

The camp, geared for boys and girls ages 6-13, began Monday and will wrap up Friday. Most of the campers came from La Crescenta, Glendale and surrounding cities.

Zargarian and his assistants — which featured his assistant coaches and current and former players — worked with eight or nine campers assigned to a basket. The eager participants first did a couple of agility drills to put them in position to grasp a series of drills focusing on dribbling, rebounding and passing in one-on-one situations.

Zargarian blew his whistle following the conclusion of each drill to offer encouragement.

“You just want to see their skill set get better and they can see the progress they are making each day,” Zargarian said. “By the end of the camp, we can share with them what their strengths are and some of the things they need to work on.

“We have scrimmages toward the end of each day. They can learn different things from the games. These kids have so much energy and they just want to keep learning.”

Some of the camp’s past participants have gone on to play at Crescenta Valley or neighboring schools.

More might be in store.

“It’s cool when you have somebody come here to the camp and then you see them on the freshman or junior varsity team,” Zargarian said. “Then, before you know it, they are playing varsity ball. That’s very rewarding because you can remember when they kind of first got started.”

Jake Weingarten, 12, made his sixth straight appearance at the camp.

Weingarten, a La Crescenta resident who will attend Rosemont Middle School in the fall, said he hasn’t lost his desire to learn and looked to improve his dribbling and shooting.

“I just love basketball and being able to come to the camp,” Weingarten said. “There are people here who care about trying to help you get better.

“I’ve gotten a lot better with my dribbling and shooting over the years. I still want to get better with knowing how to handle the ball.”

Andrea Bocanegra, 12, made his first appearance to the camp.

Bocanegra, a La Crescenta resident and student at Lincoln Elementary School, said learning the fundamentals is crucial should one pursue a career in basketball.

“It’s definitely not boring here,” Bocanegra said. “You come here and try to do your best picking up all kinds of different things.

“The coaches show you how to do something and you follow them. You have to be willing to work hard and listen carefully.”